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Finding Neverland

Synopsis

Where will your imagination take you?

Finding Neverland is an amusing drama about how the story of Peter Pan and Neverland came to be. During a writing slump play writer J.M. Barrie meets the widowed Sylvia and her three children who soon become an important part of Barrie’s life and the inspiration that lead him to create his masterpiece “Peter Pan.”

An elegantly crafted tale told with utmost sincerity, Finding Neverland is a heartfelt blend of the endless imagination, warmth & exuberant joy of childhood with soul-crushing hardships of real life that benefits a lot from the endearing performances its cast is able to chip in but lacks the wow factor that elevates any film from a 'good one' to a 'great one'.

Finding Neverland is a semi-autobiographical account of the Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie who's best known for creating the character of Peter Pan. The film focuses on his friendship with the Davies family and the time he spent with the Davies' kids from which he drew the inspiration for his next play, which would eventually go on to become a…

"Young boys should never be sent to bed. They always wake up a day older." ~ Sir James Barrie

What a delightful, charming and sensitive tale, based on Allan Knee's 1998 off-Broadway play "The Man Who Was Peter Pan." Johnny Depp was perfectly cast as the turn-of-the-century playwright Sir James Barrie. He's right at home acting like a child, never quite growing up and well aware that his "work" is to create a "play." He befriends the widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslett), whose four sons provide the inspiration for his greatest stage production, "Peter Pan." Dustin Hoffman, Julie Christie and Radha Mitchell also star, and this bittersweet saga received seven Academy Award nominations, including the Oscar-winning Best Score composed by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek.

This is what they mean when they say a film has heart. Marc Forster has crafted a delicate piece here that could easily have gone wrong with its blend of coldness and fantasy, and for all intents and purposes it probably should have. But, grounded by an uncharacteristically subdued performance by Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland manages to successfully navigate the goings-on within the mind of J.M. Barrie as events in his life lead up to the writing of his masterpiece, Peter Pan.

The film breezes by with the lighthearted spirit of its protagonist, yet also balances tragedy well. Now, I did and do feel there is an element of choppiness to the tone, but it completely works: that choppiness is…

We never appreciate the wonder of childhood until we find ourselves burdened with the oppressiveness of adulthood. It's an idea that has been delved into for centuries in various forms of art, and has endured as one of the most effective ideas explored. Most films stagger into laughable territory in their attempts to answer the unanswerable question, but those that maintain a level head are films I consider to be among the best in cinema, because of personal bias.

Finding Neverland uniquely straddles an awkward line. While Johnny Depp's effective performance, a compelling take on an age-old notion and several heartfelt moments sprinkled through the film are tipping it into the territory of the greats, there's the unfocused direction, campy…

How fitting for a film based on the inception of Peter Pan to be so enchanting, charming, and just all-around magical. Based itself on the play "The Man Who Was Peter Pan", Marc Forster's heavy emphasis on sentimentality and wonder in Finding Neverland will be cloying for some, but it fits this story very well, and even makes certain character moments hit that much harder. The film is anchored by one of Johnny Depp's finest roles in his expansive career (and one of his Oscar nominated performances): here, he ditches the wacky hairstyles and makeup that he's so known for in favor of a sublime and subdued performance, even with his clearly non-native Scottish accent. At a point, Depp completely…

You can see the factual 'story' behind the story of Peter Pan and Neverland from a great James Barrie had written, played by Johnny Depp (now I know why he played in Alice in Wonderland, he deserved it). Freddie Highmore and Kate Winslet are perfect too in this film. "I can see my similiarity life with that 19th century man". I wish I could find a place to write just like him.

A film about the inspiration behind the tale, and a profound examination about believing in a sort of Big-Fish kind of way. It charms as it touches, and sometimes even more than grown-ups might expect it to be.

A lovely little store about JM Barrie and the writing of Peter Pan. Packed full of imagination and feels - however watching it post-Saving Mr Banks, its difficult not to compare the two, and to be honest Saving Mr Banks is the more superior film.

First off, these types of films have a soft spot for me. Saving Mr. Banks is in my Top 100. Seeing the creative process and imagination in full effect always hits me in the gut. Finding Neverland is wonderful. J.M. Barrie is like looking at a picture of me in about 10 to 15 years I believe. The way he looks upon life so preciously and creates his stories to reflect the human condition yet come into a world of escapism is my exact goal with Artpig. Not only that, the things this film has to say on relationships and the need for someone…